xxxHOLiC: Kei

Information of Anime

Kimihiro Watamuki isn't a normal school student.  He has an ability to see evil spirits & they are attracted to him. He continues to work for Yuuko Ichihara's shop to get his wish to remove his ability.

xxxHOLiC: Kei is a direct sequel to xxxHOLiC.

Storyline (CONTAINS SPOILERS)

Below is a summary of the storyline I've seen.  This section does contain some spoilers.  If you haven't seen the series yet & don't want to be spoiled, skip this section.  If you want to know the story & want to see how I viewed it, read on.

Watanuki continues to work for Yuuko for a number of tasks to get his wish.  The tasks are still the same whether it be helping her with her work, cooking her meals, or playing with her.  He continues to see the world differently with the many encounters he has with her.  It can be something supernatural like haunted ghosts or something simple like internet addiction.  There are times he teams up with Shizuka Doumeki, a classmate that he hates a lot.  Even though he hates him, he is compatible with Watanuki as he can repel evil spirits.

What makes this season a bit different from the first one is how some of the episodes link to another later on even though it's not a bit link.  Also, character backgrounds are viewed deeper now like how Himawari Kunogi is cursed with bad luck to people around her.  Another interesting thing is how Watanuki is getting diced this season with losing one of his eyes & surviving a fall from his school.  Plus, there are small arcs this season.  But the show continues the same approach of having different short stories.

The show ends with everyone going to the spirit world where they visit the fox's oden stand to have oden as a gathering.  But it was actually Watanuki making a wish to Yuuko to have Himawari enjoy the fox's oden.

My Personal Review

xxxHOLIC: Kei continues to be a mysterious anime show to watch.  Since I liked what I saw in the first season, I went for this to continue on.  If you haven't done so, watch the first season before going for this one.

Animation

Same as the previous season & the movie.  The drawings have that CLAMP touch.  The characters are very thin with long bodies, arms & legs.  CLAMP fans will really love these designs as they are true to the manga designs.

The backgrounds are pretty good.  However, there is very little 3DCGs here like the movie.  But they are still good.

The colours are very dull with very little brightness.  The colours tones are very good & sets the mood well.  However, the balance between the characters & the backgrounds stands out quite a bit as you can see the characters being in bold colours.

The animation movements are very smooth.  The movement isn't realistic due to the long body parts.  However, the movements of it is very fluid; especially when Watanuki moves around in strange positions.  Nevertheless, it's very well done & I was impressed again like in the movie.

Sound

The sound effect have that dark touch.  This is a good thing since it helps sets the mood in the dark mansion.  However, there are quite a number of cute & silly sounds; mainly to setup the comedy bits.  Overall, they are crisp with no fuzzes & the 5.1 effects really help the mood a lot.

Same ones from the previous season, so no adjustment to your ears are needed.  The voices are pretty good as they match each character's personality.  Also, they are the same ones from the movie.  So, you don't need to adapt to anyone new. 

The music isn't too bad.  It helped create the mood, but not to a level that I was expecting.  It was still eerie & mysterious.  Also, there are quite a few silly songs to get the show going.  But I didn't like the opening theme much.  It doesn't have that mysterious touch that the first season had.

Story

Picks up where the first season left off.  It continues its short stories with no main plot in sight.  But unlike the first season, there are some deeper stuff here in terms of character background.  Plus, Watanuki is getting more damages here than before.  But overall, it's the same stuff.

Overall Conclusion

xxxHOLIC: Kei, like its previous season, is pretty interesting to watch. I'm watching it out of interest & the comedic jokes it has.  The theme continues to draw me in with its mysterious stories.

xxxHOLIC: Kei gets an eight out of then from me.  The show is quite entertaining with the Japanese supernatural content.  Plus, it's funny on the side.  However, it still lacks a descent plot as it mainly a bunch of short stories.  It should be watch for pure entertainment again.

Last updated on August 19, 2008